Saint Michael The Archangel Slovak Church - 1898

St. Michael the Archangel Church at 48th and Damen ave. was the first Slovak parish founded in Chicago.  In 1898, Rev. Benjamin Rajcany, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Whiting, Ind., celebrated Mass for a small group of Slovaks who had settled west of the Union Stock Yards on the south side of Chicago.

Rev. Anthony Brunkala took charge of this mission from December 1898 until April 1900, when he was succeeded by Rev. Emmanuel Zdenek.  The first parish church was a frame building at 4920 S. Paulina St.  The slovak parish of St. Michael the Archangel was organized within the boundaries of St. Rose of Lima Church, which was then located at the corner of 48th and Ashland ave.

In 1900, Rev. Stephen Pavolcik was appointed pastor.   The cornerstone of a brick building at 4743 S. Robey st. (now Damen ave.) was laid on Nov. 21, 1900 and the structure was dedicated on May 11, 1902 by Archbishop James E. Quigley.  In 1902, a school was opened under the direction of Thomas Griglak, the parish organist. (Image Left (1))

In order to remedy the financial and administrative problems which had hampered the growth of the parish, Archbishop Quigley entrusted St. Michael the Archangel Church to the care of St. Procopius Abbey.  In 1905 the Bohemian Benedictine Fathers assigned Rev. Barholomew Kvited, OSB, former pastor of St. Vitus Church at 18th pl. and Paulina st., to care for the Slovak Colony in the area.

When the Byzantine Rite Catholic church of St. Mary at 49th and Seeley ave. was organized in 1905, members of the congregation worshiped at St. Michael the Archangel Church.  St. Mary parish is now part of the Byzantine Rite Diocese of Parma, Ohio.

Under Father Kvitek's leadership, the present church of St. Michael the Archangel was built at the northeast corner of 48th and Damen ave.  The building, which contained church quarters as well as 12 classrooms, was dedicated on June 13, 1909 by Archbishop Quigley.

Since its opening in the fall of 1909, the parish school has been under the direction of the Benedictine Sisters of Our lady of Sorrows convent.

Father Kvitek was succeeded in 1914 by Rev. Thomas Vopatek, OSB, who remained in charge for six months.  On January 14, 1915, Rev. Gregory Vaniscak, a Slovak born priest was appointed pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Church.  The parish blossomed under the leadership of this priest, who shared the same faith and nationalist sentiments as his parishioners.

Rev. Charles Florek, OSB, was appointed pastor in 1928.  He had been born in Budapest in 1896 and emigrated to the United States with his Slovak parents in 1904.  He grew up in St. Michael the Archangel parish to which he returned as an assistant after his ordination in 1922.

Father Florek spent most of his life in the parish of his youth; he served as pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Church until 1957, when he resigned because of ill health.  At the time of his death on Dec. 29, 1964, Father Florek was in residence at St. Andrew Abbey in Cleveland, Ohio. (Father Florek https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/162452701/charles-j-florek)

In 1957, St. Procopius Abbey ceded St. Michael the Archangel Church to the Archdiocese of Chicago which in turn entrusted the parish to the care of the Benedectine Fathers of St. Andrew Abbey.  Rev. Armand E. Gress, OSB had been pastor since June 1957.  He came to Chicago from Cleveland, Ohio, where he had been pastor of St. Andrew Church.

With the generous support of his parishioners, Father Gress was able to finance the construction of a social center.  Ground was broken on Aug. 20, 1961 at the northwest corner of 48th and Wincester.  The building, designed by the architectural firm of Pavlecic and Kovacevic, was dedicated on May 5, 1963.

 

 

In addition to the school buildings and parish center the parish complex includes the rectory at 4821 S. Damen Ave. and the convent at 1949 W. 48th st.

Today, St. Michel the Archangel parish serves Slovak Catholics who live in the area bounded by 39th st. (Pershing rd.) on the north; 67th st. on the south; Kedzie ave. between 39th and 49th st. and Western ave. between 49th and 67th st. on the west; and Racine ave. on the east.

Rev. Louis Hudak, OSB serves as associate pastor of this parish.  Four Benedictine Sisters and six lay teachers staff the grammar school, which has an annual enrollment of nearly 300 students.

St. Michael the Archangel Church works closely with the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council, of which Father Gress is vice president.  Active parish organizations include the Young Men's Club, which observed its 50th anniversary in October 1975.  Also the Holy Nme Society, the Young Ladies' Club, Senior Citizens Club, School Board, Mother's club of St. Michael school, Rosarry Sodality, Music Association and a scouting program.

Text Excerpts:

A History of the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago, Editor: Rev. Msgr. Harry C. Koenig, S.T.D., Volumes One and Two, Published by the Archdiocese of Chicago, Chicago , Illinois, 1980.

Current Images: - Google Maps, Capture Nov. 2022.